| DJ Sets ::Stanton Warriors (Dominic
Butler & Mark Yardley)
One way or another you’ve probably
already come into contact with the Stanton Warriors. For some
time it’s most likely it was underfoot as the market
leader in drain covers. In recent years though, it’s
more likely to be from one of the most popular and distinctive
dance DJ, production and remix outfits about, Mark Yardley
& Dominic B – the Stanton Warriors.
From the less than sleepy farms and fields of their native
West Country, Dom and Mark have grown into one of the most
prolific DJ acts in the world, burgeoning label bosses, and
major producers on the global dance scene. It’s a long
way from the strange seismic rumblings of the South West but
the enthusiasm and feelings behind what they’re up to
haven’t changed too much...
Dominic B and Mark Yardley received their baptism in a burgeoning
dance scene, at a 100 impromptu parties in the open air of
the West Country where in the lost hours and days, they enjoyed
a thriving deep house scene, laced with breaks, funk and hip
hop, influences that were to play a huge part in characterising
the direction of the boys own production. The focus of things
centred on Bristol where Dom directed his efforts into a local
record shop and promoting his own parties in the time between
actually enjoying the parties, basically putting as many fingers
into as many pies as were within reach. At the same time,
Mark pursued his own dreams of following in the steps of hero,
Prince, at least as far as his mastery of over 30 instruments
goes but it is fair to say both had been soundly bitten by
the music bug! It was the renowned ‘Bristol Scene’
that played a pivotal role in defining the sound and attitude
Mark & Dom took to their music in these crucial formative
years.
Following the West Country era, it was not until the mean
streets of London and Tuff jam’s 51st Label that the
pair would be reunited. Dom, working A&R for the label
soon saw a like mind in Mark as they witnessed the rise of
early ‘UK Garage’ alongside an increasingly proliferation
of second rate garage mash up’s going through the studios
and labels. Luckily, it was at this point that the boys decided
to combine forces and direct their efforts towards the studio
as the Stanton Warriors exploded onto what they saw as an
otherwise stagnant scene with ‘What Ya Gonna Do’,
and ‘2 True’ that caught the attention of their
51st Recordings bosses and saw a domestic release as it were.
It was with ‘Determined’, their follow up on 51st
that the now familiar low end, and electro ‘n’
hip hop influences began to take shape.
The Stanton Warriors started as they meant to go on with
the production outing that really broke them, the outstanding
‘Da Virus’ for Mob Recordings. Hooking up with
Tayo’s renowned breaks label proved a master stroke
securing serious attention from the breaks world and from
here paved the way for the avalanche of remix offers that
were to come their way. Basement Jaxx, Missy Elliot, Azzido
Da Bass and Bentley Rhythm Ace through to Jocelyn Brown, Gabrielle.
All have come under the Stanton scrutiny at some point along
the line and all have all benefited from the Stanton sound
applied to it, their distinctive bouncing breaking sound lighting
up dance floors, street parties, festivals and house parties
all over the world. The Mr. Reds & DJ Skribble ‘Can
You Feel It’ marked a defining moment going top 15 a
good 2 years after originally seeing the light of day on The
Stanton Session. There are not many constants in the music
world, but you can pretty much rely on the Stanton Warriors
treatment getting a party started. It’s a principal
that Mark and Dom have always adhered to and one that should
be a guide to all budding producers out there: a good track
is a good track the world over and a good track gets people
dancing!
It’s a principal they put at the forefront of things
when putting together ‘The Stanton Session’ in
2001. XL Recordings took the boys onboard for their first
compilation, and Mark and Dom continued in the inclusive spirit.
The wanton eclecticism of using their own productions ‘Da
Virus’ and ‘Da Antidote’, nudging up alongside
tracks from Masters at Work, Isolee, Soul Fusion and bumping
heads with their own remixes of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Jump
N Shout’ and peers like the Plump’s, not only
demonstrate the broad influences that are drawn upon for their
efforts in the studio, but reveal the diversity of your average
Stanton Warrior DJ set, if there is such a thing! ‘The
Stanton Session’ took the set into the homes of a great
many beat loving folks though as it received massive critical
and commercial success, picking up ‘Best Compilation’
awards for both Muzik Mag and Dancestar somewhere along the
way.
In 2002 the Stanton’s marked the next phase of their
career signing to 679 Recordings, sending a clear signal to
the music world that the Stanton Warriors are about to take
things to the next level with a focus on their own production
and giving a none too subtle hint at the scale of things to
come shacking up in the same label stable as The Streets!
It’s from this desire to continue to push at the forefront
of things that spawned Punks Music. To date Punks has seen
the release of ‘Break Me With You’ / ‘Reckless
Dub’, tracks that met with unprecedented attention,
and the next instalment is ready to drop! In it’s nascent
stages Punks is quickly shaping up as a sound outlet for the
wilder meanderings of the Warrior minds all on the grooving
breaks tip defined by the Stanton themselves.
The Stanton Warriors have succeeded in not only bucking musical
definition but have picked it up by the collar and kicked
it’s ass out of the music world. With their eclectic
past and drawing on some traditional sounds of underground
house, hip hop, electro and funk, they’ve mixed up the
old and the new and come out with something bigger than the
sum of its parts, namely the Stanton sound! Not many can claim
to have defined a sound but Mark Yardley and Dominic B should
definitely be there if there’s ever a ruck on the subject.
The Stanton Warriors have carefully honed a distinct sound
that carves up dance floors through 4 corners of the world
sounding fresh and bringing something new to the party. As
Dom said at the start of it all when he first saw the reaction
to one of their tracks at the Notting Hill Carnival ‘Everybody
was dancing’. We’re a few years down the line
but it’s still about ‘everybody’ and ‘dancing’
– there’s just more people at the party!
